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Team Nigma vs OG is one of Dota 2's most exciting matchups, with fans flocking to watch it whether it is online on livestreaming channels or offline on LAN arenas. Watching the action between these two teams is worthwhile because of the caliber of these two teams, the past achievements they have had, and the names they have on their teams. Sébastien "Ceb" Debs, OG's offlaner, also feels the same way as a player, as he recently discussed how different it is to play against Nigma than other teams. A number of factors, including the history against Nigma, mutual respect, and a shared perspective on the game make playing against them so unique, Ceb pointed out.
Ceb explains why there is a different feeling playing against Nigma
In The International 10 (TI10) Western Europe (WEU) qualifier, OG defeated Team Nigma twice, once in the upper bracket second round and again in the lower bracket final.
Following the upper bracket series win, Ceb came forward to answer some questions about the game in the post match winner's interview. One of the more interesting things that Ceb shared was the different feeling they get when playing against Team Nigma. However, Ceb also mentioned that this feeling was not as strong in this particular qualifier, since they had prepared for all teams in the same way.
"Yeah there is a different feel, maybe less in this qualifier than usually because you know, we have prepared to respect everyone as much as… to try to make no differences between the teams so it’s not like we expect Nigma to be a harder matchup than Vikin.gg or whoever we will have to face. We just expect everyone to give us a really tough fight so, in that sense, nothing changes. But of course, there is a different vibe to it. We have a history with these players. We have also been in a position where we were straight up learning from them and they were showing us the way when they were on top of the region and stuff so there’s that too. Obviously, TI history, and there’s just a lot of respect between our two teams. We are pretty close, the players with each other. I think our views on the game are also maybe a little bit more similar than compared to other teams. All that put together makes it quite special."Ceb
As mentioned, fans of the game also relish watching the matches between the two teams. The interest of the viewers was reflected in the viewership numbers as the lower bracket final series between OG and Nigma in TI10’s WEU qualifier had 546,300 peak viewers, the highest number for any TI qualifier since 2016.
Ceb talks about beating carry players in the lane
Ceb is regarded as one of the best offlaners in the competitive Dota 2 scene, known exclusively for his laning skills. In situations where he recognizes that he is stronger in his lane matchups, he pushes the limit to make the enemy carry's life a living hell. Upon asking Ceb if he enjoyed playing against any specific carry players and what fun he had when outdoing them, he replied, "I mean, actually most of them honestly. I feel some of them get nervous, that’s what probably makes me the happiest when I play against them."
"I can feel it in their gameplay or they get upset when they get outplayed and then it goes completely out of control, it goes south. I mean the more emotional they get, the more fun it is for me, especially (since) it has been a carry patch for so long. I mean, just beating them up is, most of the joy I find in Dota these days is just about that honestly. This patch, they spent two years with armor and HP regen buff so when you know they are going down even though they have that, I just have a smile on my face."Ceb
OG and Ceb qualified for TI10 after beating Tundra Esporta 3-2 in the qualifier’s grand finals a couple of days ago. The postponement of TI10 to October gives the team three months to prepare and be ready for the event. OG, who are the champions of TI8 and TI9 will aim to become the first Dota 2 team to win three TI titles.
